December...

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
It's update time at Early Work Mercantile...and I just finished stitching up some holiday goodies!

Hope you will consider giving the gift of handmade this holiday season ♥ ~L

Wishing you a...

Many Blessings to You and Yours...
May your holiday be filled with the warmth of family and friends...
Good food and cheer!
♥ ~L

November winds and a small peek...

Hello Dear Friends…
A gray and windy day here today…
Predictions that everything will be glistening white with snow by tonite…
Strangely, at this moment…I am content with the thought of winter.
This year more than ever I feel the need to respect the rhythms of nature…
And it is giving me a sense of peace in an all too chaotic time…

A heartfelt thank you, to all of you have sent well wishes for my Mom. These are bittersweet times.
We’ve been working on getting some home care services set for Mom & Dad…and that eases my mind a bit.
It has truly a been a balancing act for me…all the craziness of my son’s senior year…my parents…my business…and now the holidays?!?!

In the midst...I’ve finally decided on a design for the 2014 LJFibers Rug Project…
Primitive Medallions will be approximately 22" x 34"...it will be a 3 or 4 part project...
linen pattern and 1st wool kit will ship in January 2014!
Inspired by a 19th century rug entitled “Medallions”…
worn and muted tones…flowers and critters…
I’ve come up with a primitive rendition…here is a small peek…

I absolutely love how this is hooking up and will share more with you soon!
My goal is to have all the details for kits worked out and posted on the website in the next few weeks.
I know many of you would like to include the Annual Rug Project on your list to Santa…
♥ ~L

Softly falling...

The leaves are not very colorful this year...perhaps the unusual weather we have had...but they are finally falling...
and a chill is in the air...
Last night I finally got around to the basket of apples that were gifted to us...Fireside from our dear neighbors...and Cortlands from Nick's girlfriend's family...The combination cooks up to a delightful, sweet-tangy applesauce!
And the steam from the canner warmed the house!

Tomorrow is "Second Saturday ~Open Studio"
I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone is hooking or stitching!
I need a wool fix...Mom was in the hospital for the first part of the week...
tho' I did knit a bit on some socks while she was napping!
Orders were processed and packed at night when I would return home...It's been a long week...
I think I'll go play in the leaves ~ L

November 1st...

Hope you all had a BOO-filled Halloween!
In between the trick-or-treaters I was busy finishing up on this month's offerings at Early Work Mercantile
It's the start of our Log Cabin Christmas...

I hope you will take a look at all the handmade goodies...
and consider giving the gift of handmade this holiday season!

..."and would you know how oak trees grow,
the secret may be told,
you do but need to plant the seed,
one acorn in the mould"

...The Story of Mistletoe The story goes that Mistletoe was the sacred plant of Frigga, goddess of love and the mother of Balder, the god of the summer sun. Balder had a dream of death, which greatly alarmed his mother, for should he die, all life on earth would end. Balder could not be hurt by anything on earth or under the earth. But Balder had one enemy, Loki, god of evil and he knew of one plant that grew neither on the earth nor under the earth, but on apple and oak trees. It was lowly mistletoe. So Loki made an arrow tip of the mistletoe, gave to the blind god of winter, Hoder, who shot it, striking Balder dead. For three days each element of universe tried to bring Balder back to life. Frigga, the goddess and his mother finally restored him. It is said the tears she shed for her son turned into the pearly white berries on the mistletoe plant and in her joy Frigga kissed everyone who passed beneath the tree on which it grew. The story ends with a decree that who should ever stand under the humble mistletoe, no harm should befall them, only a kiss, a token of love...
~L

Inside and Out...

Yesterday was a flurry of activity around here... lots of out of town shoppers stopping by the studio to buy wool for their
Fall & Winter hooking and stitching projects
...Wool Nesting inside...
Outside...a major...different kind of nesting project was underway...
the new roof was finally happening!

I love the color and texture of the new shingles...

the new gutters will be installed this week...red of course!
We couldn't be happier with the company and crew!
THANK YOU to all the lovely ladies who braved the construction zone to stock up on wool!

Once things quieted down around here I had a chance to lay out my plan for one of the army blankets I wrote about in the last post.
I've been sorting thru things here in the studio and came across some leftovers from and old make-and-take class we had at the old shop years ago...

On Scrapbasket Saturdays we made pin keeps...

these left over sunflower parts will somehow find their way onto my army blanket!

It's a bright, but chilly Saturday...after packing up some orders and a bit of cleaning
I'm looking forward to some stitching with wool!
Wishing you a bright and cheery Saturday ~L

Just arrived in the studio~shop...

Warm...cozy...scrumptious WOOL!
Perfect for all your holiday projects!
You'll find it here on the website at woolyredrug.com

These chilly nights got me thinking about the old Army blankets I found a while back at my favorite local haunt
Hunt and Gather

I think it is time to starting stitching on them...
just need to settle on a design...
stay tuned...I'll post on my progress!
May your day be filled with delight ~L